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Back to the future: A continuity of dialogue on work and technology at the ILO

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  • Miriam A. CHERRY

Abstract

Concerns about technological unemployment are not new. Specifically, policy debates surrounding automation processes in the 1960s reflected both optimism and concerns about the job‐destroying potential of technology. Studying the archives, and in particular the information collected by the Bureau of Automation, shows that many of today's policy proposals were originally raised at the ILO during that period, even though they were never translated into regulatory policy. This article thus suggests that reopening this past dialogue may reveal useful insights for addressing current challenges, and enable us to achieve the world of work we wish to see in the future.

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  • Miriam A. CHERRY, 2020. "Back to the future: A continuity of dialogue on work and technology at the ILO," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 159(1), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:intlab:v:159:y:2020:i:1:p:1-23
    DOI: 10.1111/ilr.12156
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Maynard Keynes, 2010. "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Essays in Persuasion, chapter 2, pages 321-332, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Frey, Carl Benedikt & Osborne, Michael A., 2017. "The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 254-280.
    3. David H. Autor, 2015. "Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 3-30, Summer.
    4. Cherry, Miriam A., 2019. "Regulatory options for conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues in the on-demand economy," ILO Working Papers 995034190802676, International Labour Organization.
    5. John Maynard Keynes, 2010. "Essays in Persuasion," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-59072-8.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrey SHEVCHUK & Denis STREBKOV, 2023. "Digital platforms and the changing freelance workforce in the Russian Federation: A ten‐year perspective," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 162(1), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Dorothea HOEHTKER, 2022. "Historical perspectives on the International Labour Review 1921–2021: A century of research on the world of work," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(4), pages 12-48, December.
    3. Debra HOWCROFT & Jill RUBERY, 2021. "Labour and technology: Reflecting on a century of debate in the International Labour Review," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(4), pages 32-42, December.

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